Improved book-rack or stand



- waited' grau-5 @met Gemine GEORGE GARDNER, OF CLARKSVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMS'ELF, OLIVER L. GARDNER, AND WILLIAM GARDNER, 0F SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 102,248,` dated A11/ril 26, 1870.

IMPRQVED BQOK-RACK QR y STAND. '7

The Schedule referred to in these Lettere Patent Vand making part ofthe same.

To all whom it 'may concern Beit known that I, GEORGE GARDNER, of Clarksville, in the vcounty of' Hunterdon and State of New Jersey, have invented -a new and useful Improvement in Book and other Racks or Stands, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the-accompanying drawing forming part of this specication, and in which- Figure 1 representsa 'ont view, and Figure 2,' a transverse section of a stand "or rack constructed according to my improvement. 4

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.A v

My invention relates to stands orracks made up -of a series of. shelves within a rigid frame capable of standing upright upon the vdoor or other resting `sur, face, as iu the case .lof ordinary `self-supporting and portable'book-racks or stands. Such articles, as heretofore constructed, have had v theirA 4shelves perinanently secured to the sides of the frame, and the latter so braced as to alord but very imperfect facility for transportation by reason of the bulkiness of the article, which cannot well be stowed away in a trunk or other like receptacle, although it is very desirable ,that the same should be capable of thus being packed,

inasmuch as to do so would be found a great convenience to ledgers andfothers in moving, and on various other occasions. Pendent book and other racks, in

i which the shelves are united by knotted cords, have aorded this facility; but these racks are, on many accounts, objectionable, and in nowise analogous wit-h stands or shelves designed to be selfsupporting or` of rigid, construction. 1

The'invention accordingly consists in securing to a rigid or self-supporting rack or stand of shelves the `sameor greater facility for packing away, and, at the same time, providing for a proper bracing of the several parts, and strong construction of the whole, by making the shelves, which unite the two side pieces lof -the frame, removable, and itting certain'of said shelves and sidepiecesv ofthe frame with detachable fastenings, -that will also serve to lock or brace the shelves and frame together, and support the shelves in their places. In this way, vbysimply lifting olf or removing the shelves to which the fastenings are applied, the whole structure falls to pieces, or may be taken apart, and the shelves and side frame-pieces be separately packed, and readily put together again, without the aid of a workman or exercise of any special skill.

' Referring tothe accompanying drawing- A A represent the, side pieces of the frame of a .rack or stand of shelves, B B'.

Cert-ain of these shelves-as, for instance, the greater number or whole of the intermediate ones, of which there may be any number-may simply slide into grooves 'made in'the'inner faces of the side faces A A; but the remaining shelves, preferably the upper and lower ones,.B B', are provided at their ends, and

the inner faces of the side pieces AIA at the places where such shelves lt or lie, ywith fastenings, which readily provide for the attachment and detachment ofy y,

said shelves, and serve to brace and hold the structure together, but admit of the -sides and several shelves being separated from each other when required. Of such character are thefastenings shown in the drawing, in which C G are metal knees permanently secured to the inner sides of the shelves B at their ends, and provided with slots b, open at their lower ends, and, in fitting said shelves to their places,

locking over screws c c, or other headed projections permanently secured to the inner faces of the side 1 locking with the straps in an equivalent manner to the rit of the slotted knees O C ou the screws c c.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

A rack or stand of shelves in which the shelves, or certain of them, and the side pieces of the frame, are

provided with locking-knees C C and projections c,

substantially as and for the purpose herein 'set forth'. Witnesses: GEO. GARDNER.

f GEORGE Romains,-` ELEAZAR SMITH.v 

